This Week: Blue Chip Matchmaker and MGM Borgata Pacing series fifth legs, Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, N.Y. This is the opening event of the 2022 Grand Circuit season.

Schedule of events: The Grand Circuit at Yonkers features three $40,000 divisions on Friday (April 15) in the fifth and final round of the Blue Chip Matchmaker series for open pacing mares. The Monday (April 18) card at Yonkers will see three $50,000 divisions in the fifth and final round of the MGM Borgata Pacing series for open pacers.

The top horses by points in the five preliminary rounds will be eligible for the finales, both set for Monday (April 25).

Complete entries for the races can be found by clicking on this link.

Last Time: A neck, a half-length, a neck, and a half-length were the winning margins in four closely-contested $50,000 splits of the fourth leg of the MGM Borgata Pacing Series on Monday night (April 11) at Yonkers Raceway.

Funatthebeach N surprised the favorites again in Monday night’s third test. Georgia Panagi photo.

Funatthebeach N (Jordan Stratton) pulled a 29-1 upset last Monday in winning in the Borgata, and he surprised the favorites again in Monday night’s third test, sweeping from last to first in the final quarter at odds of 9-2.

American Dealer N (Scott Zeron), Semi Tough (Yannick Gingras), and Poseidon Seelster (George Brennan) all left the gate with purpose in this race, and they were three-wide for most of a :26 opening quarter before American Dealer N relented at the inside, allowing Semi Tough to get into the pocket and Poseidon Seelster to the top. Brennan hit the brakes in the second quarter, getting to the half in just :56, and that prompted Captain Barbossa (Jason Bartlett) to get going first-over from fourth before that station. Pat Stanley N (Dexter Dunn) latched onto the cover to sit second-over, and Funatthebeach N and Stratton wound up third-over.

Captain Barbossa’s try stalled out in second as Poseidon Seelster and Brennan picked up the pace to 1:23.4 at three-quarters. Captain Barbossa would then begin to back up on the last turn, and that sent Pat Stanley N and Funatthebeach N wide to try and get around him. Meanwhile, Poseidon Seelster remained in the lead and looked strong coming into the lane. However, that early three-wide position and hot tempo began to catch up with him, and Semi Tough, who had angled out of the pocket late on the final bend, went by him in deep stretch. Semi Tough couldn’t hold on either, though, as Pat Stanley N and Funatthebeach N both surged by him to his outside, with Funatthebeach N taking the 1:51.4 decision. He downed Pat Stanley N by a neck, and Semi Tough had to settle for third.

Jeff Gillis and Mark Ford are the winning trainer-owner combination behind Funatthebeach N, an 8-year-old Somebeachsomewhere gelding. This was Funatthebeach N’s 28th lifetime tally, and he now shows a bankroll of $457,539.

Trainer-driver Pat Lachance guided Lit De Rose to a 1:52.3 score. Besjon Doda photo.

Lit De Rose, racing with Lasix for the first time, angled off the pylons in early stretch and rallied furiously to get by favored Easy To Please in the first of three $40,000 divisions in round four of the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series on Friday night (April 8) at Yonkers Raceway. Trainer-driver Pat Lachance guided the 7-year-old by Leader Bayama to a 1:52.3 score.

Man Dontforget Me and driver Dunn marched away sharply from the pole position, forcing Lachance to duck in behind her on the opening bend with Lit De Rose, a 7-2 proposition. Easy To Please, in search of her third victory in the series for driver Stratton, left hard from post six but settled in fourth on the opening bend.

With the field in line, Dunn set fractions of :26.3 and :55.4 for the opening half with Man Dontforget Me. Stratton asked Easy To Please to move past the half, and the 4-year-old rallied up to the pacemaker with three-quarters hit in 1:24.2.

Late on the final turn, Easy To Please surged to command and appeared destined for her third straight win, but Lachance was able to angle Lit De Rose out behind her, the mare kicked into high gear, and rolled by in the shadow of the wire. Easy To Please settled for second, with Man Dontforget Me third.

Owned by Guy Corbeil, Lit De Rose returned $9.60 to win. With her fourth win in 2022, Lit De Rose has earned $109,610 this year.

Complete recaps of all the races are available at the Grand Circuit website.

Grand Circuit Standings: In 2022, the Grand Circuit leaders in three categories (driver, trainer and owner) will once again be tracked on a points system (20-10-5 for the top three finishers in divisions/finals and 10-5-2 for the top three finishers in eliminations/legs). Winbak Farms is the sponsor for the 2022 Grand Circuit awards.

Here are the leaders (through the races on 4-11-22):

Drivers: 1. Jordan Stratton – 84; 2. Dexter Dunn – 68; 3. Jason Bartlett – 64; 4 Yannick Gingras – 58; 5. George Brennan – 48.

Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 94; 2. Cory Stratton – 45; 3. Erv Miller – 41; 4. Jen Bongiorno – 37; 5. Shane Tritton – 30.

Owners: 1. The OK Corral – 32; 2t. Team Tritton Inc. – 30; 2t. Jesmeral Stable – 30; 4. Mystical Marker Farms – 22; 5. Bukers Stable – 20.

Looking ahead: Grand Circuit action will continue with the finals of the Blue Chip Matchmaker and MGM Borgata on April 25.